


It's a Dog's World

by kanna37



Series: It's a Dog's World [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-11
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-10-27 04:48:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanna37/pseuds/kanna37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots revolving around the Sesshoumaru/Kagome pairing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Irony is so Ironic

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

Touga was gloating.

Grinning ferally, fangs hanging out of his mouth, he was doing a victory dance around the room that was absolutely ridiculous, and if either of his sons had seen him doing it, they'd have been humiliated.

But it would have been _worth it._

He'd been happily schmoozing the night away at his family's New Year's Party when the second most gorgeous scent he'd ever had the pleasure of breathing in had crossed his inu nose, and his eyes had involuntarily closed as he'd just breathed for several seconds, enjoying the fact that he was inu and as such, could enjoy scents so much more than anyone else.

And then what it had – possibly – meant kicked in, and he'd gone and grabbed his youngest pup and forcibly dragged him into the vicinity of that scent, hoping to see some sort of reaction. He had... but not the one he'd been hoping for.

At first, he'd been disappointed... and then, what that meant had kicked in, and he'd slipped into this room, and let loose – he still couldn't believe what a sense of irony and humor the fates had, or what they had in store for his uptight, arrogant oldest pup.

For inu, the only sense that really meant anything was their sense of smell. Vision, hearing, touch, while all nice, were distant seconds, and only scent truly counted.

Especially where the formation of a lifemate bond was concerned.

An inu knew the moment they first scented the female that fate meant for them, and, in fact, a father, brother, or any other male family member would also be susceptible to that female in a minor way, though the scent would not be 'quite right'. Thus, he had caught that most beautiful scent, though he already had a lifemate, and immediately knew it was the scent of one of his son's lifemates. By getting Inuyasha and leading the boy into the room, he was able to narrow the field. While Inuyasha loved the scent, it was also 'not quite right' for him, either, meaning she was meant for his anal retentive eldest and heir, Sesshoumaru.

The thing was, according to her scent, she was human... and Sesshoumaru _hated humans._

But the other thing was, he would be completely and instinctually head over heels for her immediately he caught her scent, no matter whether she was human, no matter whether she was ugly or not, even if she had an offensive personality. As long as she had that scent, his son was _doomed_...

It would serve his arrogant oldest pup right if she was an ugly, nasty woman, though he wouldn't _really_ wish that on his son, since a mate bond was a centuries long thing, a lifetime bond, and he didn't really want to have to put up with a daughter-in-law that was a rip for that long, either...

Still chortling sadistically, he decided to go track his eldest down and introduce him to his future...

His HUMAN future.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru dearly wanted to roll is eyes at his father as he dragged him back inside the mansion to listen to some boring story one of his even more boring cronies was apparently telling him.

He couldn't believe the older male had come chasing him down for something like that – he knew he would have no interest in such things...

Between one second and the next, every thought was erased as the most wonderful scent he'd ever been privileged to catch flooded his nose and completely drowned out his father's inane droning. His eyes fell closed as every sense he possessed closed down so he could focus on it; instantly, all he could think of was one thing – finding the source of that magnificent scent and claiming her forever as his. Oh, yes, he was quite aware that it was a female scent, and he knew _exactly_ what he wanted it for.

_Human. No... it can't be. Nothing that magnificent could be human._

Lifting his head and scenting the air, he immediately took off after it, and with a grin, Touga watched, following along behind his feral son quite happily as the boy hunted his female through their New Year's Party. He was a bit curious to see what the girl looked like, now that he knew what she smelled like.

_At least I don't have to worry that she's going to freak out when Sesshoumaru pounces on her. She wouldn't be at this party if she didn't know how Inu work,_   
he thought, thankful that at least that wasn't going to be a problem.    
_I wonder which one of the human girls it is, though... maybe one of Hibiki's girls?_

His good friend, Hibiki, had brought his daughters to the party, who had been studying abroad for some time, and before that, had lived with their mother. Both had studied youkai matters in school, though, so he had no fear of them misunderstanding anything.

As soon as his son came to a halt, he wanted to cheer – it was one of Hibiki's daughters all right, as he could see his friend talking to one of them right in front of Sesshoumaru. He wondered which one it was – Kikyou, an acclaimed beauty in her own right, or the beautiful, gentle-hearted Kagome, Hibiki's favorite.

Sesshoumaru froze with rage for a moment as he took in the female that was the source of that gods-given scent – _she really is_ _human –_ and then in a split second his rage drained and he decided that – in her case, at least – it didn't matter, his eyes roving her as he openly scented her.

“As beautiful to the eyes as your scent is the to nose,” he rumbled, to Kagome's surprise; she blinked at the interruption to her conversation with her father, her eyes taking in the sight of the most beautiful male she'd ever seen openly scenting her. And then her eyes widened as she realized what that meant as her training kicked in and his arousal made itself evident; he made no attempt to hide it, and she flushed becomingly as her body responded to the cues his were sending hers, becoming just as aroused.

Without any further words, he picked her up gently, swinging her up into his arms as her cheeks flushed; that was the last anyone saw of them for several days.

Touga grinned widely as he sauntered up to his friend and clapped him on the back. He was not at all displeased that they would be counted as related from here on out – he was quite fond of his friend, and now their family lines would forever be entwined.

Hibiki still looked confused. “What just happened, Touga?”

“Oh, come now, Hibiki! You know how it is with inu and finding their lifemates!”

“You mean to tell me that _Kagome_ is Sesshoumaru's lifemate?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes... the fates have a real fine sense of the ironic, don't they?” Touga chortled.

Hibiki just shook his head. “That's putting it mildly, Touga, that's putting it mildly. Who could have ever guessed that my Kagome would be destined for human-hating _Sesshoumaru_?”

“Well, I can guarantee he doesn't hate humans anymore,” Touga said slyly, chuckling. “In fact, I'd say he's quite fond of them,” he said, as he heard a rather loud snarl from his son. _Gee, boy. Any louder, and even the humans will hear you through the floors,_ _and_ _the noise of the party._

Hibiki just looked disconcerted. “Ok, Touga, that's really more than I wanted to know. Your son had better not hurt my daughter, is all I can say.”

Touga chuckled and led his friend back into the party.

“He won't. You know that, my friend. He's definitely all inu, and now he's an inu that's head over heels in love with your daughter. Irony is so ironic, isn't it?”


	2. It's Disgusting!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sesshoumaru taunts Kagome one too many times with his perfection and she goes off the deep end.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

“ARGH!” Kagome screamed, fingers clenched in her hair as she let out all her pent up frustration. She couldn't take it anymore – she couldn't focus on anything, her mind was always in an uproar, and her hormones were even worse!

It was absolutely, positively, completely _disgusting_...

And it was all Sesshoumaru's fault.

Lately, every time her group turned around, they were stumbling over the inuyoukai Lord, and it was getting ridiculous. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was doing it on purpose.

 _Oh, yes, he is, that jerk! Flaunting all that 'perfection' in front of... well, all of us. But mostly me!_ Slumping down in her seat, her head banged down on her desk, knocking over her pile of homework and making an even bigger mess for her to deal with.

With a morose sigh, she got up and got ready for bed.

 _Maybe I can ditch the gorgeous bastard in sleep_.

Fat chance.

She hadn't been in bed an hour when she woke from a dream of him staring at her with those beautiful golden eyes of his, and she sat up with an aggravated, though strangled, scream. After all, she didn't want to wake the whole house up. After telling the hot jerk off in her head, she laid back down huffily and pulled the blankets up over herself.

 _Sadist_ , she thought as she drifted off to sleep again. _He just enjoys torturing me. It's disgusting_.

~oOo~

With gritted teeth, Kagome forced herself to finish her test, mentally threatening to disembowel the damned male that wouldn't leave her alone. While slightly ridiculous, it did make her feel better – for all of three seconds, until she finished the last question and slammed her pencil down on her desk with quite a bit more force than was necessary.

“Higurashi,” came the bland voice of the sensei, “is there a particular reason you are abusing the furniture?”

Sinking down into her seat as her classmates snickered, Kagome muttered, “No, sensei,” while still mentally cursing at the root of all her problems...

Her idiot best friend's horrible, sadistic, sexy -no, bad Kagome!- stuck up older half-brother.

_Sesshoumaru, get out of my head!_

Unfortunately, all the yelling she was doing inside her own mind wasn't doing any good, because the damned hot jerk wouldn't vacate the premises.

And that was making her crazy. She was pretty sure if this kept up, her teachers would end up demanding she be sent for a mental evaluation.

 _That would be great,_ she thought sourly. _How would I explain this? Oh, well, you know, I'm just being haunted by the sexiest, most annoying, domineering, overbearing, aggravating, did I mention sexiest? daiyoukai to ever walk the face of the earth_. _No big deal at all!_

Instant straight jacket.

 _If this keeps up, I might just go ask for one myself,_ she whimpered, her eyes closing morosely. _Then I'd never have to go back to Sengoku Jidai and wouldn't have to be constantly thrown into his august presence. Hah. As if. That's not my luck. No... my luck, I'll end up chained to a wall in his dungeons and forced to stare at his perfection for the rest of eternity – or until I become a gibbering idiot_ , she thought sourly. __

_Oh, wait... too late._

_I already am_.

She just shook her head and waited for class to end so she could go home...

And prepare to go back to the past...

Where Sesshoumaru was.

_Why me? It's disgusting, how I..._

She whimpered again.

~oOo~

“ARGH!” Kagome screamed, her posture stiff, hands clenched into tiny fists and face raised to the skies as her friends all stared at her in shock – and Sesshoumaru with one eyebrow raised as if to mock her reaction to his presence.

After a moment of hopping up and down in righteous fury, Kagome stomped over to the male that had – once again! - interrupted their travels to flaunt himself in front of her wanting eyes, and pointed an irate finger in his direction.

Every one around almost quit breathing as they waited for the rest of it...

And they weren't disappointed.

“You! As if it's not bad enough that you are always in my head messing everything up, twisting me in knots inside my own mind, you have to do it out here in reality, too! Are you _trying_ to make me go insane?! Because it's _working!_ ” she shrieked, stomping her foot in frustrated temper.

Just as everyone thought the worst was over, Kagome inhaled deeply, and continued her rant, staring straight at the rather – oddly – silent daiyoukai that normally would have already killed the loud nuisance and moved on.

“When I'm at school, you're in my head, messing up my tests. When I'm at home, your damned perfection is parading through my mind and screwing up my homework, sleep, and you've even invaded my bathtime! As if that weren't horrible enough to completely destroy my peace of mind, when I come back here, you keep popping up and hammering the nail into my coffin! It's absolutely _disgusting_ how I love you!”

Dead silence.

Panting heavily, Kagome took a moment to realize what she'd just said, and then she screamed in frustrated rage and embarrassment and stomped off, hoping to find a nice cold river to drown herself in.

Behind her, the silence deepened, and everyone turned to Sesshoumaru to see what his reaction to a human female declaring her love to him was going to be...

Not one of them expected to see the smirk that lay across his perfect face, nor hear the smug words that came out of his mouth as he began to follow the distant sound of explosions of temper into the trees...

“Hn. That did not take long at all – I had expected her to hold out longer. No matter - make camp for the night – we will not be leaving before morning... and do not come looking for us for any reason.”

Inuyasha shuddered as he caught the gist of what was going on.

_That's disgusting!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't resist... I really need to stop watching AMV's, because they are warping my mind – seriously.
> 
> Amber


	3. Aphrodisiac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever wonder how inuyoukai choose their mates? Well, you're about to find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Nearly feral, Sesshoumaru growled out long and low, his crimson-haloed eyes fixed on his prey as she sprinted through the trees a short distance ahead of him, those long legs of hers flashing pale through the darkness.

He had come upon her earlier in the evening, blooded from battle and alone, her usual companions nowhere to be found. As he'd looked on, actually startled at the savagery with which she was fighting her attackers off, he'd caught scent of her blood...

And that was all it took; to his complete shock, her blood was the seamless match to his own black blood, and its call was powerful, waking his primal nature within seconds as the scent of it acted like the aphrodisiac it was – to him, and only him.

That was how mates of his kind were chosen – by blood. It was how his father had come to take the human hime Izayoi as his mate. His own mother, Satori, had been chosen by the great dog general to bear him an heir simply because of her strength and power, but she had not called out his black blood, and thus, was not his mate.

The human woman, had, however, and that, for an inu, was simply the way it was. No male could or would resist the call; once the scent was caught, that was it.

Not even a little upset that his own mate was this human woman, this powerful and utterly magnificent miko, he had finished off her last two opponents himself, and then, in a guttural, lust-ridden voice, ordered her to _run_.

Kagome had taken one look at him, and known immediately what was happening. 

Back when Koga had first kidnapped her, and then claimed her in front of his entire tribe, Sango had taken her aside and explained how the mates of canine youkai were chosen – and that she needed to be extremely careful of how she responded to the ookami. She had also informed the young woman that, if she did not want to end up Koga's claimed bitch, she should make sure never to allow him to catch scent of her blood, because if he did, and she truly woke his own black blood, it would all be over for her.

She had to admit, she'd been grateful for the information – she had no desire to be Koga's bitch.

At that time, she'd wanted to be Inuyasha's bitch – but it became apparent the first time she'd been injured with him in close proximity, that her blood was not the aphrodisiac the hanyou would respond to... she'd been broken-hearted – for a time.

Eventually, though, she'd gotten over it, and now her friendship with the hanyou was stronger than ever – unbreakable without romantic issues clouding things.

Despite the fact that she knew her friends would be searching for her frantically once they finished with their own opponents, they were really the last things on her mind... because the fact that she was the Western Lord's match was all she could think of.

The mere _idea_ of it thrilled her, making her knees weak and her core heated and wet with desire.

Oh, yes... once she'd gotten past her crush on Inuyasha, she'd begun to notice other males... and there wasn't any other male out there that could make a woman weak-kneed and desperate the way he could. He was the most magnificent specimen of masculinity that the kami had ever created...

And he was about to be all hers.

Just as soon as he caught her, of course. Not that she was trying all that hard to get away – she wasn't _stupid_ , after all.

So it was with considerable satisfaction that she felt his clawed hands clamp around her upper arms from behind and yank her back into his now armorless chest. She immediately went limp and submitted, ready, willing, and more than able to give him anything he wanted.

“Bitch,” he rumbled, his voice barely recognizable as his instincts goaded him into tasting the female that was his. “You are mine, and this one will never allow you to leave him.” His voice was loaded with warning, and Kagome knew instantly what he was talking about. Her era was a lost cause for her, now – she would have to wait to see her family again until she reached her time the long way around.

The thought didn't bother her at all – the only thing that bothered her was the thought of not being with him.

“I am yours,” she agreed instantly. “Mark me in the way of your kind, Sesshoumaru.”

That drew a snarl from him, and he pushed her heavy fall of midnight tresses over her shoulder to nuzzle her fragrant and gloriously soft nape, licking, kissing, and nipping his way along the skin until he hit the spot over her jugular, and she sucked in a pleasured breath, her eyes falling closed as passion flooded her veins.

_Mine!_ he snarled again inwardly, and then he bit down, his hands tightening around her arms as her head fell back against his chest and she screamed. He released his poison into her bloodstream, even as her blood with its siren's call to his own slid down his throat like the finest of foreign wines.

Within seconds, both were left panting for air as the sensuality of her lifeblood, for him, and his poison, for her caused them both to orgasm without even any need for actual sexual stimulation between them.

That was the power of the call of the blood between two who were destined to be mates...

But that was not to say that the encounter was over, because now that their life forces were meshed completely, each ones desire for the other was as blatant as though it had been carved into their flesh for all the world to see. Within seconds, both were naked as the daiyoukai laid her down across his now bloody silks, and proceeded to lick his way across her body, cleaning every precious drop of her blood from her shapely form as she writhed beneath him.

From this point on, anyone that drew her blood except him would die – only he was allowed to see, smell, or taste such a potent, delicious aphrodisiac as her life's most precious fluid.

Mere minutes after he'd cleaned away every evidence of her sanguine liquid, she gifted him with another type of blood – that drawn from proof of her purity. She went rigid beneath him as his impressive member took her over from the inside out – but once the pain was gone, she responded to his lovemaking with a natural sexuality that had him absolutely feral.

By the time that night was through, both were thoroughly claimed by the other, and extremely proud of it. Every night from then on out for the rest of eternity would be pleasure and possession as neither had ever known it.

Even Sesshoumaru, the male known to hate humans with a passion, had discovered a far stronger passion towards one of that race than his hatred had ever come close to.

And he was not at all ashamed of that fact.

She was  _his_ , and he was savagely proud that  _all_ would see that she belonged to him in all her glory... for all their endless lifetimes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a crazy little piece that hit me a while back.


	4. A (Disastrous Day at the Beach

 

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.**

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru growled under his breath at the sight of their destination – this trip to the beach had been all Kagome could talk about for days. For a rather murderously-tempered dog demon from five hundred years in the past, this trip was actually a disaster in the making.

There were humans everywhere, skinny ones, fat ones – he closed his eyes and wished he could scrub them of the visual he'd just gotten on that one – tall ones and short ones – and quite a few of the short ones were of the screaming child variety that everyone with ears in the vicinity would like to gag. Or kill, if you were Sesshoumaru.

He had no idea what had possessed Kagome to bring him on this 'trip'. He was not comfortable with a lot of humans – generally, when there were a lot of humans around, it was because they had gathered to try to kill him, and that sort of thing usually ended with a lot of dead humans. But if he killed _these_ humans, he knew that Kagome would never let him near her again, and since he was aiming to get a great deal closer than he already had, that would most definitely not do.

She had packed several 'bags' with items she said were absolutely essential on the beach, but hadn't told him what they were. And she had made him change his clothes! Fortunately – for her – she'd had something made that was fairly close to his usual attire, and he'd finally deigned to put them on, admitting after a short while that they were acceptable. Though not likeable. He made sure to qualify that statement for her, for kami forbid she actually think that he _liked_ them. That would not do. At _all_.

So, here he was, at the beach, carrying several bags into the sand, which he set down when she found a spot she considered acceptable, which was, thankfully a bit away from all the humans infesting the area like fleas infested Kouga and his mangy ookami. (While he would never admit it, he had always agreed with Inuyasha on that issue – ookami were smelly, flea-bitten, mangy, tick infested low-lifes, very far beneath his notice – unless he was unfortunate enough to smell them, and then he noticed.) And for all of this, he still didn't understand why they were here. If she had wanted to swim, he could have taken her to any beach on the entire Western Shore in his era, and they would have had privacy and peace in which to indulge her need to swim - and possibly some of his needs. But no... she wanted to come to a place that was crawling with things he was beginning to look at as targets rather than people. Perhaps if he used his whip to kill a few off, she wouldn't notice?

He was yanked from his rather dark musings when Kagome dropped her sundress right there in front of every human on the beach, and his eyes nearly fell out of his head and he almost swallowed his tongue.

It took him a few moments to get himself under control, the tiny scrap of cloth covering her upper body, and the just as tiny one pretending to cover her bottom half in a lovely shade of silvery blue sending his instincts into overdrive. What was she _thinking!_

"Miko, you will put your clothes back on. Those... scraps of cloth are not appropriate cover," he growled, the charm she'd put on him to hide his form and make him look at least a little more human beginning to waver as his youki rose.

She just chuckled at him. "Come on, Sesshoumaru! Take a look around! Almost every girl here is wearing something like this – or even smaller," she teased, pointing out a woman wearing what may as well have been dental floss, for all it covered. She almost choked at his disgusted expression.

"You are not her. She is obviously a whore, while you are not. You are mine. Or will be, as soon as you stop beating around the bush about certain matters," he said darkly, glaring at her.

She just laughed. "Lighten up. She's not a whore, this is just standard here. If she were a whore, she wouldn't be wearing _anything._ There are beaches where people are totally nude, you know." His expression darkened, and she sighed. "Don't worry about it, Sesshoumaru. Just relax already. See? Everyone here is just enjoying themselves, spending time with their loved ones, and swimming to cool the heat from their bodies. You said you wanted to spend time with me, and so we are. We're here alone together, with no annoying little brothers – on either side – to get in the way," she cajoled, patting the spot next to her under the umbrella she'd put up over the towels she'd laid down.

He eyed her, and then sighed minutely. He _had_ said that he wished for some time alone together before their mating, and it was nice to be away from - both – annoying younger brothers. But this wasn't quite what he'd had in mind...

Still, he would give her this, as it came to him in that moment that he couldn't deny her anything when she looked at him like she was. _How disappointing. I've become as much a whipped puppy as I had always accused Inuyasha of being. And the worst of it is, I cannot even bring myself to really care._

He sat down, a little grudgingly, but he did, and Kagome gifted him with that beautiful, intimate, loving smile she always had just for him when he'd pleased her, and, digging in one of the bags, she pulled a tube from it with an almost excited smile. Turning to look at him, she said, with a mischievous wink, "Would you rub this on my back, Sesshoumaru? Please?" She batted her lashes at him, not yet having realized that she certainly didn't have to beg for him to put his hands on her. He'd put his hands all over her if she'd let him, she certainly didn't have to beg – though he might end up doing just that, if she didn't let him have his way with her soon. He really couldn't take much more.

He took the tube from her hand and looked at it with a frown. "What is it?" he asked, even as she took it back from him for a moment and opened the top before handing it back.

"It's sunscreen. It's so my skin doesn't get burned from too much sun. Like that woman over there," she pointed out discretely to her daiyoukai. The female in question had extremely red skin that she was currently – and apparently painfully – covering with a shirt. It looked like she'd fallen asleep in the sun. Bad move.

"Hn," he replied after looking at the woman and noting her reddened skin. He squirted some of the cream onto his hand and had her lay down on her stomach – which was a mistake because he almost choked again as he saw what her lovely round rear end looked like in that 'bikini' she was wearing. "That would not have happened if she had been wearing clothes that actually _covered_ her, woman, much like you. I cannot believe that such scanty clothing is allowed in your time. It is scandalous."

Kagome didn't say anything, she simply moaned as he continued to rub the cream into her skin as he lectured, so she was able to tune him out. Really – he was beautiful, caring under that mean hide of his, intelligent, and, her new number one criteria in a male - he didn't have any attraction for dead women. But he was so totally a prude. She chuckled again.

"I am finished," he said, wondering whether he was supposed to rub it on the flesh of her beautiful ass that was on display for all the other males on the beach to see. He could already tell that he would be very busy scaring people today and trying to keep himself from letting 'scaring' become 'killing just a little', which he much preferred. Okay, he really preferred 'killing totally', but he wouldn't quibble with the terms today. _Any_ kind of killing at this point was good, in his opinion.

She sat up and smiled at him as he handed her the tube back, whereupon she smoothed it into the skin of her front half, leaving him wishing she'd had him do that, too. He sighed again, inwardly this time, as it wouldn't do for him to be overheard making such an ambiguous sound too often.

Finally feeling that she'd covered herself thoroughly, she smiled at him and laid back once more, simply enjoying the breeze and the sunshiny day. She slipped her sunglasses on and smiled up at him. "Wanna take a nap with me?" she asked sweetly.

He shook his head. "I thought you were here to swim, woman?"

"Oh, I will, a little later. So...?" she prompted again, and he simply laid back on his towel and watched her as she smiled at him and her eyes fell closed, obviously completely relaxed. He, however, was not, for there were far too many males on this beach where his soon to be mate was wearing practically nothing. Not a situation that was conducive to relaxation in an inuyoukai, and he thought she would have known this by now – after all, she'd survived close companionship with his maddening younger sibling for some years now, and Inuyasha was anything but sane when it came to keeping males away from her.

He sighed _again_ and resigned himself to always be chasing other males away from what was his, since what was his had the bad habit of always wanting to flaunt what she – and now he - had. Or at least, soon would. Perhaps if he killed a few people in a jealous rage she would figure out that it was a bad idea to incite jealousy in an inuyoukai by inciting desire in other males, even if it was unintentional, and become more circumspect? Somehow, he doubted it.

Time passed as Sesshoumaru tuned out the humans around them and simply watched Kagome, and finally, after a nice little nap, she woke hot and ready for a swim. This was another thing that he did not do – swim in water where there were a lot of humans mucking up the purity of the water – although her era was so polluted, it probably no longer mattered who did what in the water. His skin cringed at the thought of touching that water as that thought crossed his mind.

He was saved for the moment as they walked towards the shore when she looked back up on the sand and made an excited sound, coming to a stop and turning away from the water. Sesshoumaru came to a halt, confused, though not about to complain as he waited to find out what had caught her attention.

"Oh, look Sesshoumaru, ice cream!" she grinned, pointing up the beach and heading back towards her bag to pick up her well hidden wallet and withdraw some money, not paying any attention to anything else on the beach – including the males that had caught sight of a beautiful woman in an itty bitty bikini and were yelling up the beach, "Hey baby!" and wolf whistling.

And while Kagome might not have noticed, Sesshoumaru sure did, and, temper blowing his top almost immediately, his hand turned green, his stripes went jagged, and screams took over the beach as Sesshoumaru's anger burst his appearance spell and he went after those males with single-minded intensity, ignoring everything else as long as it stayed out of his way.

By the time Kagome got him back under control and calmed, the beach was empty and they were being surrounded by police and swat teams, summoned by panicked beach-goer's reports of a 'demon' chasing a group of men up the beach while flying and threatening to disembowel them for 'looking upon his female with lust in their eyes'. They just barely escaped, Sesshoumaru being forced to fold them into his light orb and shoot straight at the sun so as to be hidden from any eyes still on the beach as they made their way home.

When they landed back at the shrine, an oddly bedraggled Kagome stomped inside her mother's house, determined to find some water and get into it – even if it was the water in the bathtub and not at the beach. She'd wanted to play in the water, and by god, she was going to!

Needless to say, Sesshoumaru did _not_ receive a very warm welcome when he tried to enter the bathroom with her. Instead, he spent the rest of the day back in his era, trouncing his brother soundly in a 'spar' and vowing never to go where there were that many humans again – especially if she were going to insist on wearing such tiny strips of fabric that covered very little and enhanced everything. He really didn't enjoy killing humans – it took forever to get all the little bits that were left out from under his claws, and the smell was simply unacceptable.

He sighed, yet _again,_ and ruminated that it was becoming a habit while around her. The things he did for that woman...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Inspired by a little piece over on Deviantart called At the Beach by SadieB798. It's not quite exact, but it's what gave me the idea for this. Props go to the artist, because it's a funny piece!  
> Amber


	5. A Perfect Day

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

“Kagome!”

The young woman turned to look behind her as her name echoed down the noisy hall, and smiled when she caught sight of her two best girlfriends, Sango and Kagura, running up behind her.

“Hey guys, what's up?”

“Have you heard?” Kagura gasped out, and Kagome frowned, shaking her head.

“Heard what?” she asked, bewildered at her friend's excitement.

“The whole school is buzzing about it, girl,” Sango replied. “I can't believe you haven't heard!”

“Heard _what_?” she asked again, beginning to get annoyed at their odd behavior.

“For the first time _ever_ , Sesshoumaru is going to ask someone to the dance Friday!” Kagura managed to get out. It _was_ certainly gossip-worthy news – Sesshoumaru Taisho was the most sought after male in the school, and he had never been seen with any female. A few – those who had a death wish – had even speculated that he was gay, though his younger brother had assured people that he wasn't.

“Sesshoumaru?!” Kagome echoed. “Seriously?” She was floored... and none to happy, either. There was little chance the beautiful male she'd been in love with for years had noticed her, his brother's little friend, as anything more than a nuisance, and she was immediately depressed at the thought that she would have to watch him with some other female. _Lucky bitch,_ she thought miserably, all while trying to hide her upset from her friends.

None of them knew she had lost her heart to the inudaiyoukai, and she wanted to keep it that way – she didn't want to be humiliated in front of everyone, after all. None of her friends had ever understood why she didn't date, and all of them had tried at various times to fix her up with guys. But she never accepted. She was the only one of their clique that didn't have someone – she was the odd man out, and that had, at times, been rather awkward.

She just couldn't bring herself to date some guy she had no feelings for, though... no, she was always true to her heart, and she was head over heels for Sesshoumaru – she had been for years. The morose thought that she'd end up being the ubiquitous maiden aunt with a bunch of cats as companions flittered across her mind, depressing her even more than the current news was already doing.

“I wonder who the lucky girl is,” she mused aloud, valiantly trying to keep her voice from wobbling. All she really wanted to do was hide and cry, but damned if she'd let anyone know it.

“Well, I don't know,” Sango said as they continued down the school hall to the lunchroom, passing other gossiping groups as they did, “but I overheard him talking to the guys, and he flat out told them that the girl he was going to ask he's had feelings for for a while, and he's not just gonna ask her to the dance!” she finished.

“Not just gonna ask her to the dance?” Kagome repeated, confused.

“He's gonna ask her out – you know, to be his woman, silly!” Kagura piped up, rolling her eyes at her friend.

“Oh,” Kagome said after a moment, her manner subdued. “Hey, guys, I'll meet you back here in a little bit, okay? I've gotta go to the restroom,” the now depressed young woman said, and the two girls nodded agreeably.

“Thanks, guys. See you in a few,” Kagome said, turning and heading back out the lunch room doors, hurrying to make it to one of the bathrooms away from the lunch area – there was less likelihood of there being anyone else in the bathroom the further from the lunchroom she went. And she _really_ wanted to get away from people right now – she needed a good cry.

She was completely unaware of the golden eyes following her with a cool sense of determination as she hurried away from the cafeteria.

~oOo~

Turning on the sink, Kagome splashed her pale face and red-rimmed eyes with cold water, hoping to hide the evidence of her tears. She'd already been crying and hiding in the bathroom for almost twenty minutes, and that only left her with another twenty-five minutes before lunch period was finished.

 _If I don't get out there, I'll have all the gang in here with me – including the guys,_ she thought, a small smile crossing her lips. _Don't want to get everyone in trouble..._

“Is there a reason you are hiding in this bathroom and crying, woman?”

Kagome shrieked and almost fell over as she whipped around, her hand coming up to cover her heart, only to be met by a smirk on the gorgeous face of the object of her thoughts and affections. _Grrr..._

“Sesshoumaru!” she whispered harshly, swallowing the lump in her throat. “What are you doing in the girl's bathroom?! You can't just come in here!”

“Your statement is obviously wrong, since I am in here. I go where I please, and you should know this by now,” he returned dryly. “And the reason I am in here is because _you_ are in here. If you do not wish me to be in this bathroom, then you will come out.”

Frowning, she looked at him suspiciously. “What are you up to? There's gotta be something big going on if you're wanting to talk to _me_. Since I'm just a human wench, and all, you know.”

She was surprised when he nodded his head and acknowledged her words. “Yes, it is understood why you would believe that I would see you as a lesser being. Most humans are beneath my notice. And I have never led you to believe that you were any different – but you are. Would you like to know why I have never said anything to you?” he asked, idly running one elegantly clawed hand through his gorgeous silver locks as he stared at her almost hungrily.

“Wait,” she said, her frown deepening. “You mean to say that you _do_ see me differently than other humans, you've just never let me know that?” she asked incredulously, her fingers nervously twisting in her skirt.

He nodded curtly, a smirk on his face as he noted her playing with her skirt – he knew that meant she was nervous. “I have always seen you differently. But I am my father's heir, and unlike Inuyasha, cannot just choose a female because I wish to. When my father realized that I looked on you as a male does a female he desires, he refused to allow me to say anything to you – at least, not at that time. He told me that if I still saw you the same way after three years, and did not wish to court other females, he would allow me to approach you at that time as that would prove my devotion. As you know, inu are a very lusty clan, and if I could refrain from female companionship for three years out of an attachment to you, then he would not stand in my way, and would support my desire for you before the council, thus ensuring that no one would dare decry my choice.”

Wide-eyed with shock, Kagome literally couldn't speak – hell, she couldn't even think, all she could do was stare at the example of male perfection standing before her - in the girl's bathroom no less – intimating that he'd had feelings for her for at least three years, and was now staking his claim on her.

 _I guess I'm the lucky one who he was going to ask to the dance, and to be his woman, then,_ she thought blankly, _unless this is all just a rather sick joke..._

He watched her watch him in stunned silence with an amused light beginning to burn in his eyes, but as he opened his mouth to say something further, Kagome blurted out disjointedly, “This is a joke, right? This whole thing... you're just teasing me. You can't be serious. I mean, I'm just _Kagome._ There's nothing special about me, no reason you would have ever noticed me. Inuyasha probably put you up to it... he's always telling me I'm not as good as my cousin at anything and just wants to prove his point...”

At that, Sesshoumaru began to scowl, not at all pleased with the lack of self-esteem her words gave away, nor the fact that his ignorant half-brother had been saying such things to his chosen – her cousin was no prize – not like she, herself, was. “You have known this one long enough to know that he does not 'joke'. Especially about such a subject. And as for Inuyasha and his 'bitch of the week', you should definitely know better than to take anything that mutt says as worth anything. Your cousin is quite well known as the 'go-to-girl' for those needing a quick lay.”

Kagome blushed and turned away, knowing he spoke only the truth – Kikyou was pretty much a nympho. “But she's smart, and pretty, and-”

“You are smart _er_ , and pretti _er,_ and you don't smell like a hundred other males _._ Now, if you would stop throwing out lame excuses,” he said, moving forward to take her hand and pull her along behind him, “we could put this moment behind us and move on as a couple.”

Kagome yanked back on her hand, suddenly a bit miffed. “Now wait just a minute! You didn't even ask me, you just decided I was yours? What if I was going to turn you down!?”

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. “Were you going to turn me away?” he scoffed.

“W-well, n-no,” she stammered, “but-!”

He cut her off, heading once more for the door. “Then I see no point in delaying things merely to cater to your whims. All that does is waste valuable time that I could be using to kiss you,” he said calmly, pushing open the door and stepping into the slowly filling hallway.

“Hey!” she protested vehemently, blushing a bright red. “You can't kiss me out here in front of everyone!”

“Of course I can,” he replied, coming to a stop as activity in the hall came to a halt at the sight of him holding her hand. “If I do so out here, the entire school will know in less than an hour that you belong to me and are now off-limits – there were a few fools that were planning to ask you to the dance and this will take care of that,” he finished complacently as he pulled her into his arms.

Kagome just stared up at him, dumbfounded. In all her fantasies of getting together with Sesshoumaru, this particular circumstance hadn't even remotely been imagined. But as he pulled her into his arms and proceeded to kiss her silly, she decided that it really didn't matter.

He wanted to be with her, permanently, and this wasn't just a high school fling. That made the whole thing so much better than any romantic daydream she'd ever had.

And of course, the kissing was so much more than she'd ever dreamed, too...

Sesshoumaru had been correct. Within an hour, the whole school did know, and that included the teaching staff. So when she floated through her remaining classes of the day with a dreamy expression on her face and without paying any attention to them, the teachers knew why, and didn't reprimand her.

It wouldn't do, after all, to upset Sesshoumaru's chosen female...

Even nicer? Inuyasha, though he grumbled angrily, didn't dare say anything to her – and Kikyou, for the first time _ever_ , was jealous of _her_. Score!

 _What a perfect day,_ she sighed happily, as she trailed along behind her daiyoukai after school as he escorted her to his house to 'study'.

_Absolutely perfect!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I could just see Sesshoumaru being so blasé about asking a woman out – no romanticism for him! He'd be just as logical about choosing a female and advising her of that fact as he would be about any other business, lol.


	6. Accuracy

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Kagome searched frantically through her ever-present backpack, panicking when she couldn't find what she was looking for. “Oh, my god, I'm so dead,” she moaned as she tossed the bag back to the ground and sat down next to it with a thump.

“Oi, what's your problem, wench?” groused Inuyasha, watching her with narrowed eyes.

“I had a book in here, Inuyasha, a very _expensive_ book, and now I can't find it. I'm going to die a slow and very painful death when ji-chan finds out!” she explained. “That book can't be replaced.”

“What was it about?” he asked, trying to maintain a grouchy facade.

“It was called 'Japanese Myths and Legends', and was borrowed from him so I could study for an exam on those same legends. Only now it's gone,” she grumbled, “and I'm toast. I should just go jump off a cliff and get it over with.”

Inuyasha blinked at her, not quite certain what to say to that – until certain of her words broke into his mind. “Wait... he isn't allowed to kill you until all the jewel shards are found, Kagome, and you can tell him I said that!” the hanyou growled, becoming suddenly belligerent at the thought of some other male telling her what to do.

She cast him an incredulous look. “Oh, so he can kill me _after_ I find all your stupid shards?” she yelled, suddenly angry. She looked away from him and glared into the falling dark, ticked off at his callous disregard for her feelings in anything, even something as simple as one of her tests.

But Inuyasha didn't answer her; leaping to his feet, he drew Tessaiga and snarled at something hidden somewhere in the trees. Kagome stood up cautiously and peered over his shoulder, surprised to see the white-clad form of his brother striding steadily towards them.

It took her a minute to see what he held in his hand, but once she did... she stepped around Inuyasha as Sesshoumaru came to a halt a few feet away from her. With nary a word, he handed the book she'd just been looking for to her... needless to say, she was floored.

It didn't take much more than a moment, really, for her to wonder how he had gotten his hands on it...

But then she was just glad to have it back. When she glanced down at it, she was surprised to see a bookmark holding a place near the end of the book, and she looked back up to see him heading back into the woods without even a word.

“Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama, for returning this to me,” she said, raising her voice only slightly, knowing he would hear her.

The daiyoukai stopped as she addressed him, and glancing at her from the corner of one eye, he asked, “How much of that odd scroll have you read, miko?”

“Umm... about half, why?”

“I suggest you read the last thirteen pages of it, then. It will open your eyes and prepare you for what is to come,” he said coolly, before continuing on his way.

Kagome stared after him wide-eyed with confusion, even as Inuyasha just spluttered, unable to make sense of what had just happened. Sesshoumaru hadn't thrown insults, hadn't threatened death, and ignored those same things that were being returned to him on Inuyasha's part. That was very strange.

Blankly curious, she opened the book, turning to the last chapter.

And promptly choked.

Boldly titled, “The Shikon no Miko and Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West,” the legend went on to tell of the beautiful shikon miko who had conquered the heart of a human hating youkai... and ended up as his immortal bride.

A small piece of parchment fell out of the book once she reached the end, and stooping to pick it up, still too stunned to really take in what she was doing, she unfolded the small bit of parchment and stared at the words in front of her, suddenly even more shocked. Written in an elegant hand, she couldn't help but freeze at what it said.

“Your 'books' are startlingly accurate, miko. This one is quite surprised that it is so, yet cannot help but be pleased at the knowledge that I will gain what I desire...”

“… eventually.”

Kagome stumbled around in a daze for some time after that, wondering just how such a marriage would ever come to be.

She didn't let it worry her too much, though, since she already knew the outcome. Some how, some way, she _would_ be Sesshoumaru's wife, and he apparently wanted it that way.

_What a provocative thought!_

 

 

 


	7. Choices

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Inuyasha stared sadly at the young miko he loved, uncertain for the first time where he stood in her heart. Things had changed over the course of their adventures, and now, another had moved in and become a rival for her affections.

No, as most would have thought, it wasn't the stupid wolf. Much as Koga would have loved to have been the one her heart had turned to, he wasn't, and he had bowed out upon realizing that he would never have any part of the young woman's emotions.

The biggest shock of the whole thing, was who he was standing against - just who his rival actually was. He would never have thought something like this would ever have happened... but it had, and he only had himself to blame.

The stupid thing was, if he was to be honest with himself, he knew that this new suitor was probably more deserving of Kagome's heart, anyway. He had never hurt her, betrayed her, left her vulnerable to run off after his past. He had never used words to harm her, nor called her names that she had never deserved to even hear, let alone be named.

But it galled him to see the other male standing in the clearing opposite him, looking at the girl they both apparently loved, and know that it was his own half brother, the human hating Sesshoumaru, that had come to see her value, far before he, himself, had – and he had traveled with her, spent years with her, while his brother had not.

He was a fool, a blind and stubborn fool, and this whole situation just proved it.

And now, the irony of the whole thing dawned on him, and he almost chuckled.

All this time, everyone had expected him to make a choice between Kagome and Kikyou. But he never had, and Kikyou had simply finally gone back to her grave at Naraku's hands once again. The evil hanyou had fallen, and Kagome had been taken home for a full three years, only to finally return once more.

That had been several months ago – and the day she had returned, Sesshoumaru had appeared to declare his suit to the young woman, who had seemed surprised... but not against the idea.

That had told Inuyasha right then that he no longer had the hold on her heart that he once had, and he also declared his intent, determined to try to regain his place in her affections.

At this point, though, he was pretty sure he had failed...

He couldn't help but notice the feelings between she and Sesshoumaru. And with him, she didn't have feelings of inadequacy to fight off over Kikyou, making him the better bet for a young woman that had no desire to live in her pre-incarnation's shadow.

Finally, unable to stand the heavy silence he'd brought on when he'd entered the clearing around the well, Inuyasha said painfully, “Kagome... I... withdraw my suit.” At her surprised breath, he spoke back up quickly. “Keh. I can tell that you're happier when you're with the icy bastard over there, but I didn't want you to have to actually tell me, because I know you – you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings. I... won't pretend it doesn't hurt, but... you deserve the best, Kagome, and because of the past that stands between us, I probably couldn't give it to you, so... I'm setting you free. Go... and be happy.” With that, unable to actually watch her accept his brother's suit, he leapt out of the clearing and disappeared into the forest, leaving a stunned young woman behind – and a very surprised brother, as well.

It seemed that Inuyasha had finally made a choice – but it wasn't between Kikyou and Kagome...

It was between Kagome's happiness, and unhappiness.

While it made the young woman happy to be with the male she had come to love so very much, a little part of her heart would always have a bit of grief for her hanyou – because he had at last proved that he really did love her...

By giving her up so that she could follow her heart.

Owari

 


	8. Classy

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Kagome leaned back against Inuyasha's leather couch as she talked to the gorgeous youkai male she'd met at her best friend's party, really hoping to get a chance to get to know the guy more. She didn't know how realistic that was, though – she'd known Inuyasha for three years, now, and had never seen this guy before.

Tall, silver of hair and golden eyes just like her friend, all resemblance ended there. Red marks over his eyes, and two magenta crests across his cheeks along with a deep blue crescent moon in the center of his forehead, he was about the most beautiful male she'd ever seen, and that wasn't even talking about his body.

_And damn, is that hot! This one makes every other guy just disappear._

Indeed, they were constantly getting interrupted in their conversation by women asking him to dance with flirtatious looks and come hither expressions. So far, though, he'd turned them all down with nary a glance at the one asking, keeping his attention firmly fixed on her.

“So... Sesshoumaru. How do you know Inuyasha, anyway? I've known him for three years and never met you before,” she said, smiling at him over her glass as she took a sip.

At that question, a slightly sour look crossed Sesshoumaru's face, and Kagome cocked a brow, curious. “That cretin is my half-brother,” he finally answered, obviously not pleased at having to admit such a thing.

Caught off-guard, Kagome stared at the guy, mouth open a bit as she took that in. Running her eyes down him, then back up, she thought about that, and then shook her head.

“Nope, don't see it. You must be kidding,” she replied.

“What makes you say that?” he asked, intrigued.

“Like I said, I've known Inuyasha for three years. The guy is a good friend of mine, but he has absolutely no class. _You_ , on the other hand,” she murmured, looking him over again, “give the meaning to the word.”

Sesshoumaru smirked at her, tilting his head in thanks at that.

 _Perhaps I should keep this one,_ he mused. _Even if she considers him a friend, she obviously has excellent taste._

He looked her over for a moment, and then nodded inwardly to himself.

_Yes... this one could be quite fun. I'll show her just how classy I can be – which won't be all that difficult, since she is used to the antics of that perpetual child, Inuyasha._

He almost laughed aloud at the look on her face as the aforementioned hanyou went dancing past, his face stuck in some random woman's cleavage.

_No, it won't be difficult at all._

“Would you like to get out of here and go somewhere more... _classy_?” he asked her cheekily, a knowing smirk on his face.

Kagome set her drink down and nodded enthusiastically. “I certainly would,” she smiled.

He stood and held his arm out for her, and as she stood and took it, he led her from the house.

Two years later, when Inuyasha volunteered to throw his brother's bachelor party, Kagome adamantly refused, insisting that their father would do it.

When Inuyasha, insulted, asked why, she replied, “Because you have absolutely no class, Inuyasha. Absolutely none. I don't even want to _know_ what antics you'd get everyone up to.”

Needless to say, that started an argument between the two that lasted for the rest of eternity.

Not that Sesshoumaru minded...

 


	9. Twisted

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Inuyasha froze in stunned shock as his eyes tried to convince him of the validity of what he was seeing – his bastard of a brother, facing Kikyou in a small clearing as they both stared at each other.

Suddenly, and quite uncomfortably, he got an inkling of how Kagome must have felt the few times she'd interrupted him and Kikyou in the same manner.

But this particular scene made no sense, and jealousy rising rapidly in his chest, the hanyou stepped into the clearing with a growl and his hand gripping Tessaiga's hilt.

“Oi, Sesshoumaru – what the hell are you doing here? You ain't wanted, so just turn around and leave. There ain't nothin' you could have to say to Kikyou,” he said curtly, the snick of the Tessaiga's bladeguard unlocking from the sheath sounding quite loud in the clearing.

There was silence for a moment, and then...

“This one has no desire to consort with the dead, half-breed. That is a perversion this Sesshoumaru will leave to you,” he said coldly, looking at his brother from the corner of one eye. “It is a shame to our father's proud blood, but this one is not surprised that one so weak-minded as you has sought out one just as weak to tryst with.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Inuyasha spluttering behind him and Kikyou glaring at his back with hatred evident in her eyes.

Sesshoumaru, however, cared not at all for her hatred and continued on his way unhurriedly, leaving his brother and the undead to their meeting.

He, after all, had another purpose in this vicinity this night...

One much more important than his disgrace of a brother.

~oOo~

Kagome settled on a downed log and sighed, running her hand over her face with weariness. It had been a long last few days, and there was no end in sight.

Add to that Kikyou's presence and Inuyasha's immediate disappearance... well, the tension it wrought in the group was enough to singe anyone's nerves.

She wished the others would just get over it.

Sure, it was nice that they cared about her and didn't like anything that hurt her, but they had things the wrong way 'round – it wasn't Inuyasha running off to see Kikyou that was the problem.

No... it was just Kikyou's presence so close to her – it was painful, plain and simple. She really wished the undead miko would set up her little trysts with Inuyasha farther away – a _lot_ farther away.

Things had changed with her – quite some time ago, though Inuyasha didn't know it, and neither did anyone else. And that was why she was out here – because it was time to consider changing that.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a shiver went up her spine and a warning tingle of heavy youki heralded the presence of a very powerful youkai in her vicinity. Fingers tightening around her bow in response, she looked up into the trees, her eyes scanning the area even as her reiki did.

After a moment, her fingers loosened around her bow and she let out the breath she'd been holding in as her eyes lit on the beautiful male just now appearing out of the darkness under the trees like a glowing beacon of perfection.

“Sesshoumaru,” she acknowledged.

He didn't respond, merely continued moving towards her until he stood before her. He considered her for a time, and then said, “You know why I am here.”

Gaze dropping to the ground, Kagome nodded. “Hai... I know.” Her brow furrowed, and she looked back up at him, getting caught in his cold golden gaze.

For some time, the two standing so close simply stared at each other.

It was a scene strangely reminiscent of a meeting between a different inu and miko...

~oOo~

… and Inuyasha, coming stealthily upon the scene, caught the similarities immediately – and was stunned and confused at what his eyes were telling him.

He'd left Kikyou with promises to return as soon as he'd made sure his brother had left the area and not gone after his friends... only, what he'd come across was making his heart pound with dismay.

What the hell business could the icy Sesshoumaru have with sweet, giving Kagome?

His eyes were plastered to the two under the trees standing so closely – one so fair and yet dark, and the other dark and yet almost glowing with purity. In a strange way, Inuyasha became uncomfortably aware that for some odd reason, they looked... right.

As if they, _together_ , were necessary.

His ears perked as the silence finally ended between them.

“I will no longer tolerate this farce. It ends tonight, priestess,” Sesshoumaru said coolly.

Hand coming up to land on her neck, Kagome nodded. “I'm not surprised... that's why I'd come out here, really. To think about things. This... this mess has to stop, and I know that. But... what are you going to do?”

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed on her as he watched her clutch her neck, something inside screaming at him warningly. For some reason, that single move had his hackles rising and a low growl coming from his chest.

“Inuyasha. Did you shorten your time with your corpse to check on me?” Sesshoumaru asked mockingly, turning his head a little to look straight at him. “I had no idea you cared so much.”

“Shut up, you bastard! I couldn't care less about you and you know it,” Inuyasha hissed, stepping into sight. “I came to make sure you weren't bothering anyone, and it looks like you are. Get away from Kagome, prick.”

Kagome closed her eyes and shook her head, suddenly growing even wearier. “How are we supposed to resolve this, Sesshoumaru? You can't refrain from baiting him for five seconds, and he can't stop foaming at the mouth every time you're anywhere within five miles of him.” Absently, her hand rubbed against her neck again, and Inuyasha's eyes locked on that movement, something about it causing him to go cold.

“What's wrong with your neck, wench?” he asked suspiciously, staring at her with narrowed eyes.

“So the hanyou isn't as much a fool as I thought,” Sesshoumaru answered, rather than Kagome, and Inuyasha's eyes narrowed even further as his hand went to Tessaiga's hilt.

“Last time I checked, you ain't Kagome, so shut the hell up, Sesshoumaru,” he snapped.

At that, Kagome stepped forward, her expression worried. “Inu-”

She was cut off as Sesshoumaru placed a hand over her arm and shook his head. “I will be the one to inform the whelp of his new circumstances, Kagome,” he replied, surprising his brother with his usage of her name – he'd never done that before... at least, not in his hearing.

He held her eyes with his for several seconds, and she finally nodded, dropping her gaze almost submissively before the beautiful youkai lord. Bewildered, Inuyasha stared at her, stunned – Kagome never backed down like that to _anyone._

Just what the hell was going on?

His gaze was drawn to his brother when the elder inu turned to face him fully, meeting his gaze head on with icy, dangerous eyes. Inuyasha's hackles rose again and he crouched defensively, preparing for attack.

That's not what happened, however, though in the end, he would have much preferred a direct physical attack to what he did receive.

“Understand that you have no choice in the matter, Inuyasha. I am not asking, I am telling you what will be,” he began coldly. “From now on, this Sesshoumaru will be traveling with your group.”

Sputtering in shock, it took Inuyasha a minute to fully take in what his brother was saying, and when he did, he looked at Kagome, unable to believe his brother's words.

“Is this why you were meeting him out here? To get him to travel with us?! How could you do that, Kagome?” he yelled, suddenly irate. He felt completely on edge, as though his control of his fate was spiraling out of reach. He didn't like the feeling.

Before Kagome could answer, Sesshoumaru did. “It is quite amusing to this one the blinders you have over your eyes, whelp. You only see what you want to see. For so long, you have viewed the miko as yours – _both_ of them. And yet... they are not. For the dead miko does not belong to you, so much as _you_ belong to _her_. And as for Kagome-” he smirked cruelly at his brother's growl at his usage once again of her given name, “-she does not belong to you, either, hanyou.”

“The fuck she doesn't!” he snarled angrily. “So it's come down to this – you're challenging me, Sesshoumaru? I wondered how long it would take. You act like you have any say in anything to do with Kagome. She certainly ain't yours! Tell him, Kagome!”

Fidgeting, Kagome could do nothing more than look away, since Sesshoumaru had already said that he would be the one to enlighten Inuyasha on his new reality.

Inuyasha stepped back, scowling, as she didn't respond, and then his eyes went back to his brother with suspicion once again clear within their golden depths.

“What the fuck is really going on, here?” he asked, knowing that he wasn't going to like what was about to be said.

He was right.

“The miko belongs to me, Inuyasha. You lost her months ago, but were too much a fool, too busy chasing the dead to notice.” Sesshoumaru met his brother's stunned gaze with satisfaction. “No matter. Your loss was my gain.”

“You lie,” Inuyasha hissed dangerously.

“Miko, show him,” Sesshoumaru gestured imperiously, ignoring her dour look as she stepped past him to pull the high neck of her cardigan aside.

As Inuyasha's eyes locked onto her neck and the mark on it in stunned dismay, Sesshoumaru stepped forward and slid his hand up Kagome's arm to her neck, brushing his fingers caressively over the mark that now lay bare for the world to see.

“Your foolishness with the undead miko has placed my queen in danger far too many times, hanyou,” he said quietly, his voice deadly for all its low tone. “I will no longer tolerate that. _I_ protect her now - that is a job you failed at... but I will _not_.”

Without another word, he turned and led Kagome from the area, heading straight for the rest of her companions, leaving a shell-shocked Inuyasha behind to try to come to terms with this new reality he'd just been thrust into.

It was twisted...

A nightmare.

And yet, as he watched his icy brother lead Kagome away, he couldn't quite convince himself.

It hurt too much to be something as simple as a bad dream.

No... this smacked of reality in all its twisted glory.

He had truly lost Kagome to his cold, dangerous half-brother, and only one thought could break through the blankness in his mind.

_Did I ever really have her at all?_

That was a question he'd spend many, many bitter years pondering...

Yet never find an answer to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a picture in my mind... you know, over in one clearing is Inuyasha and Kikyou in one of their ubiquitous trysts, and a few clearings away is Sesshoumaru and Kagome – who isn't, for once, pining over Inuyasha's meeting with the undead.
> 
> She has much more palatable things, after all, to be thinking about, standing in a clearing with the sexy Sesshoumaru, wouldn't you all agree?
> 
> Amber

**Author's Note:**

> Does anyone recognize that quote? Okay, I admit I'm old, but if anyone can make a guess and get it right, then all props goes out to them.
> 
> This story has been slightly edited from its original posting, in a very minor way.
> 
> Amber


End file.
